


I Will Be Your Guardian

by HazAndNi



Category: One Direction (Band)
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-01-01
Updated: 2013-01-05
Packaged: 2017-11-20 20:07:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 8,507
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/589178
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/HazAndNi/pseuds/HazAndNi





	1. One

The first date they go on is kind of an accident to be honest. Louis and Eleanor had just broken up, it's only really been a few weeks, but he already bought tickets to see the Fray and needs someone to go with. He cant take El, their break up was mutual and they agreed to stay friends, but she's already seeing someone and he doesn't want to make things awkward for them. The lads are definitely out of the question too, seeing as they're constantly teasing Louis about his (not so) slight obsession with the band.  
He's quite honestly contemplating going alone or taking his sister Lottie when Harry suggests that he take an actual girl.  
"You know, like a date?" The curly haired lad teases him in such a way and Louis, irritated, aims a well placed kick to his best friends groin. He hasn't asked a girl on a date in over a year. How was he even supposed to do it?

***

Enter Lauren, cousin to the Irish Wonder Niall Horan, and Assistant to the one and only Nick Grimshaw.  
It wasn't like Louis' never met Lauren before. Actually he's been around her about a million times. It's just that he's never really noticed that she's actually kind of cute until he catches her playing piano in Niall's flat.  
"It's always have but never hold. You've begun to feel like home. What's mine is yours to leave or take. What's mine is yours to make your own."   
Louis clears his throat to catch her attention as she finishes the song and she turns around quickly, eyes wide and OH, he's never seen eyes so green before.  
"Oh my god Louis sorry! I wasn't expecting anyone to be here!" Louis smiles down at her softly.  
"That's my favorite song, you know?"   
"'S mine as well." She bites down softly on her lip as she speaks because Since the day she met him, she's always had a crush on Louis Tomlinson, but he's never paid her much attention until now.  
"Brilliant!" He takes a quick step towards her and thinks for a moment. Should he ask her to go with him? She's quite pretty and obviously a fan of the band. And he does like spending time around her. She's got a laugh like Niall's and is odd and charming, sort of a nice mix between Harry and Zayn. And maybe he really likes the idea of being able to run his fingers through her chocolaty brown hair too. "They'll be in town tomorrow night..."  
"Yeah I heard. Harry said your going. I'm sure it'll be wonderful. Have fun." Louis chuckles at her words because its so ridiculous that she doesn't see how obvious he's being.  
"I am. And I'd like it very much if you'd join me." Lauren stares up at him from her spot at the piano, once again, wide eyed and in complete shock. Louis Tomlinson just asked her out. But it can't be a date right?  
"Um, sure yeah that'd be lovely." She mumbles trying desperay to regain a little bit of composure. He flashes her his bright, happy smile, effectively dazzling her while also rendering her completely speechless.   
Bouncing off towards the door, he calls out behind himself "Smashing! It's a date then. I'll pick you up at half five." and makes his way out the door without another word.

***

"Oi! Lo! what's say you, me and the lads go have a nice dinner tonight?" Leave it to Nialler to always make everything about food.  
"I'm sorry, Ni, I can't. I've got a date tonight." Lauren tells the blond boy, face turning a deep shade of pink. Niall looks taken aback by her admission, but happy none the less.   
"A date, eh? Do I know the bloke?"  
"Uh.... Maybe." Lauren isn't exactly sure why she doesn't tell Niall that it's Louis, but she definitely doesn't think it's a good idea. Niall's always been overly protective of her and she doesn't really think he'll take to the idea of his favorite cousin dating his bandmate. Luckily, Niall doesn't press the issue, instead happily shrugging his shoulders and calling out an "I hope you have a great time then" as he heads over to Zayn's.

***

Louis' may or may not be a little nervous, though he isn't quite sure why. He's spent plenty of time around Lauren. This wont be any different. Except that its completely different and as he stands there waiting paitiently outside her door and fiddling with the hem of his grey jumper, he feels an overwhelming sense of self doubt wash over him. One that immediately intensifies when Lauren finally opens the door. She looks good, like really good in her slightly oversized grey and black striped jumper and artfully ripped skinny jeans. Her long brown hair is hanging in soft waves down her back and her cheeks are tinted a light pink against her pale Irish skin.  
"H-hi." He could probably kick himself for stuttering but she's just so gorgeous that he really cant form proper words. She sucks her impossibly pink bottom lip between her teeth and smiles up at him shyly.  
"Hello."   
"S-shall we head off then?" She gives him a small nod, stepping out of the doorframe and locking the door behind her before following him down the path to his car. Louis, always the gentleman, pulls open the passenger door for her, shooting her a bright, yet nervous, smile as she slides inside.  
"Thanks." She smiles softly at him and he shuts the door before racing around to the other side and hopping in.  
The drive there is silent save for the soft music playing on the radio and Louis can't help but catch himself constantly glancing over in her direction. How has he never noticed her like this before. It's like he was blinded before but now he can see and what he sees makes his heart speed up and his stomach turn in ways that Eleanor never could.  
The venue isn't very far from Lauren's flat, which was convenient for her because the silence is awkward and she's felt so unsure of herself the entire car ride. So as soon as they pull up she lets out a soft sigh of relief. Inside, with the band playing and the crowd singing along, they don't have to talk or sit awkwardly staring at each other. They can lose themselves in the music and maybe that will make it easier. 

***

It takes 30 minutes to get through the line, but once they get inside, it really isn't as crowded as they had thought it would be. Their seats are excellent, front row right in the middle, and thankfully assigned so there's no chance of losing them if they need to get up for anything.  
"Would you like a drink?" Louis asks her after they manage to find their seats and get settled in. Lauren nods thankfully. "I'll be right back then. Unless you want to come with me i suppose. maybe I shouldn't leave you on your own. You look quite pretty and I would't want anything to happen to you." He's rambling a little and there's a familiar pale pink blush spreading rapidly across her cheeks at his compliment. Louis Tomlinson has never called her pretty before.  
"No that's alright. I'll be fine." She assures him with a smile. He takes a deep breath, her smile is pretty much the most radiant thing he's ever laid eyes on and it sets butterflies in his stomach on edge, and nods before heading off to find the bar. Once he finds it and notices there's no line, he orders two pints and makes his way back to their seats, careful not to bump into anyone and spill them all over himself because that would be the worst thing to ever happen ever.  
"Just in time." She laughs and he hands her her pint just as the lights dim.

***

Half way through the concert, and her hand brushes up against his during the second verse of "Never Say Never", whether on purpose or completely by accident he can't really tell. He refuses to let the opportunity slip and catches it with his own, reveling in the easy way her fingers fit in between his. Even though he's not looking at her, he knows she's blushing and the thought of it thrills him more than it should.  
"Picture, you're the queen of everything, As far as the eye can see, Under your command, I will be your guardian, When all is crumbling, To steady your hand"  
Never in his life has a song fit in any moment more than this one right now and maybe it's starting to terrify him a little bit, but he likes the idea of being her knight in shining armor.

***

The drive back is just as silent as the drive there, but this time it's comfortable. Their fingers haven't left the warmth of each other once, now resting gently on the center consul in between their seats and Louis takes every red light and stop sign as an opportunity to glance down at them with a happy smile. When he pulls up in front of her flat he jumps out quickly and races around to her side of the car to open the door for her once again. Her eyes light up like nothing he's ever seen before and she blushes that pink shade he's grown so accustom to in the last few hours. Fingers wrap around his for the second time that night as they make their way towards her door. Even though he knows he shouldn't, Louis secretly hopes she'll invite him in because he the night went by so quickly and now he's finally opened his eyes and realized she's right there and he's not ready to let that go just yet. Everything is uncertain now. There's been no promise of a second date, no insinuation that she wants this to continue on. Yet for some insane reason he will never understand, the second she turns to face him, he pulls her as close as possible and buries his face in her hair. It's takes her a moment to recover from the shock of having a teenage boy completely wrap himself around her, but after a few awkward seconds, she slips her arms around his waist and hugs him just as tightly.  
"I had a lovely time." She whispers and if he wasn't so close to her he probably would have misses it. He sighs into her hair and pulls back, painfully aware of how awkward this whole situation is.  
"Erm, I'll see you later." He says, planting a kiss on her forehead before dropping his arms from her body completely and making his way to the car without another word.


	2. Part Two

Their second date takes a little more planning, at least on Louis part. It's been a week and Louis has been so busy with rehearsals that he hasn't quite found the right opportunity to ask her out again. So thank god for Harry who provides him with the perfect moment when he convinces Louis to make a visit to Radio 1 to see Grimshaw. They sit around chatting on air for what feels like forever, while Louis innocently eyes Lauren every time she brings coffee or tea. It's during one of these tea depositing trips when Harry finally gets around to asking about his date, albeit live on the radio.  
"So Louis went on a date the other night." He slurs, laughing at the blush on his best friends cheeks like its the most hilarious thing in the world.   
"Brilliant! How was it, mate? Was she fit....." Nick starts to ask right as Lauren chokes on her own tea and accidentally spits it all over Harry.  
"Aw Lo! How did you know I needed another shower this morning?" He drawls because hes so incredibly good natured like that. "Now come on mate tell us about it!" He begs before leaning towards the microphone and teasing "for those of you listening, Louis' face resembles that of a tomato. I reckon we should take a picture or something. This is quite unusual for him." A loud crash follows his words, as does a shriek of pain and Louis can't help but laugh at the skinny lad, sprawled out on his back in the middle of the studio.  
"Oh now Hazza, you should be more careful." Louis teases smugly before adding a "For those of you listening, Harry's quite a clumsy lad. Poor bloke just fell right out of his seat." Louis clucks his tongue at the younger boy mockingly. "If you really must know...." His eyes flit over to Lauren, who looks more tense than he'd ever seen her, and he smiles softly. "..... I had a smashing time. She's quite lovely and we've made plans to go out again once I'm done babysitting you lot. And that's all I'm going to say on the subject." Louis really hopes that Harry will take the hint and not push any further and thankfully, Harry obliges, wishing him luck on his date and turning back to Nick to suggest a round of 'Which Direction'. He takes this as an opportunity to excuse himself, calling out half hearted goodbyes and heads towards the door and into the lift. Just as the door is about to close, a small pale hand stops it and Lauren's thin body is slipping inside.  
"I'm not sure I recall when we had this conversation about going out again. Care to refresh my memory?" She asks in a teasing tone that Louis is thankful for because she should provably be down right pissed at him for his stunt.  
"Just meet me at the train station in two hours. And dress warm." 

***

Two hours later, Louis is even more nervous than the first time and he's half tempted to leave until....  
"Hi." His eyes widen and he turns around to face the girl who has invaded his thoughts.  
"Hi." Smooth Louis.  
"It's quite cold." She laughs. "I left my winter jacket back in Mullingar." Louis smiles to himself, silently thanking Zayn for advising him to bring an extra jumper.  
"It's a good thing I brought this then." Her eyes light up at the sight and she quickly pulls it over her head, mumbling a thanks. Louis' heart practically stops at the sight, the jumper is just large enough on her that you can tell it's a boys but not so big that it looks frumpy. She looks heart meltingly adorable and he has to resist the urge to kiss her silly. "Off we go then." He holds his hand out for hers with a smile and she takes it eagerly, lacing her fingers between his as they head inside. Louis has already bought their tickets, and he pulls her towards their train, handing the man at the door their tickets and smiling down at her softly.  
"There you are." The ticket taker says politely, passing them back. "Enjoy your trip to Doncaster."  
"Doncaster?" Her eyebrows knit together in confusion but he doesn't explain, just smiles and says "Just go with it." The ride isn't too bad, it mid day on a Wednesday so there's no one else in their car, and they occupy themselves with a few intense games of Quickfire until the train finally pulls two a stop. Louis catches her hand again while picking up the duffle bag that Lauren hadn't noticed before, and leads her off the train and into the quiet street.  
"What's in there?" She asks curiously. He shoots her a bright smile but doesn't say a word, just continues to pull her down the road and through a snow covered forest. They've been walking for about 20 minutes before he finally stops in front of a large frozen pond. Dropping his bag with a heavy sigh, he reaches down and unzips it slowly, pulling out two pairs of ice skates. "Um.... Louis?" She looks hesitant and Louis gets nervous because, like, what if she thinks skating is stupid or she had some horrible experience where she went ice skating and then a giant bear came out of the woods and.... "Louis!" he's so wrapped up in the thought of how he probably looks ridiculous, all wide eyed and terrified that he's going to traumatized her with painful childhood memories, that he doesn't even realize he's speaking out loud until she finally says "No bears Lou, just a completely lack of ability, grace and coordination. Although, I quite enjoy your theory." He feels his cheeks burn and huffs out A sigh at her teasing before a smile lights up his face.  
"I can work with that." He says because if he's going to be teaching her that means lots of touching and that was really all Louis had been thinking about the whole train ride so......

***

The first two hours are probably the biggest disaster Louis has ever been apart of. It's nearly impossible to keep her on her feet because she really wasn't kidding about her lack of coordination. But Louis doesn't really mind because he's having loads of fun and just being with her brightens up his day.  
"This is hopeless!" She huffs with a frustrated sigh as she falls down for probably the hundredth time. Louis reaches a hand out, a new idea formulating in his head. Pulling her up, he hooks two fingers in the belt loops of her jeans and glides her towards his body, the blades of her skates cutting thick lines into the ice below them.  
"Relax." His arms wrap around her slim waist. The sun is starting to set and It's just started to snow somewhat heavily and thick snowflakes are sticking to her long, dark eyelashes and dampening her brown hair. Her cheeks are bright pink from the cold and the tips of her ears aren't far behind. Louis reaches up to yank the thick grey beanie off his head, messing up his unstyled hair, causing it to lay flat against his head. He places it on her head, tugging it down over her ears to warm them.  
"Thanks." She says softly, sniffling from the cold. He presses her close to his body, her face nuzzling into his neck, ice cold nose brushing against his skin and he shivers, whether from that or the closeness of her body he's not quite sure. They stay like that for a long time, completely silent, enjoying each others warmth before he finally gathers a little bit of courage to speak.  
"Lauren...." She looks up at him, wriggling her nose from the cold, green eyes glassy and filled with hope. He lets out a sigh before opening his mouth to speak again. "I....."  
"Someone's calling you! Answer your phone! Unless you don't like them, and then you can just pretend that you didn't hear me. Which I would never do to anyone because that would be mean. Unless they smell. Someone's calling you! Answer your....."  
"What!" Louis growls into the phone through gritted teeth.  
"Lou are you still in Doncaster?"   
"Yes? Why?"  
"The trains, Louis! The trains have stopped running. Don't you know mate? You won't be able to get back until tomorrow afternoon now!" Leave it to Liam to have a panic attack over nothing.  
"Liam, mate calm down. It's fine. I'll just stay with mum and the girls for the night. Not a big deal, lad." He can hear Liam practically hyperventilating through the phone and has to suppress the urge to chuckle.  
"But.... But Louis what if.... What if you can't get back! What if it keeps snowing and snowing and you just can't...."  
"Liam! Seriously mate your going to give yourself a hear attack. It's going to be fine." He hears Liam sigh and thinks that the conversation is over, but just as he's about to hang up Liam says something completely out of left field.  
"You know it's funny, I called your mum first, you know to make sure you'd made it alright, but she had no idea you were coming." Louis swollows a thickly before answering. Should he tell Liam? Liam would try to keep his secret, he knows that, but Louis' not so sure he'd be able to keep himself from telling Niall in a fit of guilt over knowing. So he lies.  
"Had some football stuff to do. You know, the team and everything. I was just planning on surprising her at dinner tonight to be honest."  
"Oh no! Oh lou I'm terribly sorry. I didn't realize and now I've ruined it....."  
"Liam it's fine. But I've got to be going. I'll phone tomorrow." And with that he hangs up.  
Ok so maybe he feels guilty. And he thinks that he probably hurt her feelings by lying to Liam right in front of her, except that Niall hasn't said anything about their first date and that makes him think that she's keeping it a secret too. "I hope you're not offended that I didn't tell him." She shakes her head, a look of complete understanding in her eyes.  
"I've not told Niall either. Didn't think it was a good idea just yet." She confesses. He wastes no time pulling her back against his body, but doesn't try to go for the kiss because unfortunate for both of them the moments already past and he'll have to make sure to 'thank' Liam for that tomorrow. 

***

Louis' mom is in an absolute state over their surprise visit and its not hard for Louis to figure out why. It's obvious to him that she finds Lauren to be an absolute pleasure to have in the house and despite his constant protests that they are not, in fact, in an actual relationship, she continuously makes comments about how cute their children would be. So at half 10 when she finally shoos the girls off to bed and kisses them both goodnight, Louis might probably be a little relieved.  
"I'm so sorry about that. This is why I don't bring girls home. She's so embarrassing." He apologizes, but Lauren just smiles at him and says its ok and he can't help it that his heart kind of melts at how sweet she is.  
"Um Lou, I'm kind of knackered. Where should I sleep?" She asks, trying to stifle a yawn that turns the half melted mess of Louis's heart into a full on puddle. He pulls her in to his arms and hugs her tightly, kissing her hair. She smells amazing, like better than anything he's ever smelled before and he kind of just wants to stay like this forever.  
"Come on, I'll show you to my room." He whispers, and reluctantly pulls away, lacing their fingers together as he leads her up the stairs. He pushes the door to his childhood bedroom open, his mother has kept it completely the same and it makes him feel a little nostalgic. "There's some of my old t-shirts in the dresser for you to wear and The bathroom is right across the hall. I'll be downstairs on the couch if you need anything." He turns to leave but stops suddenly when she takes ahold of his wrist.  
"Goodnight, Louis. Thank you so much for such a lovely day." She says softly and he turns to face her. Her eyes are sparkling with happiness and something else that he can't quite place and the urge to kiss her is so strong but he resists. He's not sure if its the right thing to do and frankly he's a little terrified. So he hugs her tightly instead.  
"Good night Lo." He whispers before heading down stairs, mentally kicking himself until he falls asleep.


	3. Part Three

I Will Be Your Guardian Part 3

This is not my best but the date idea was really cute <3 Hope you guys like it. I think the next part is going to be the last part because I only planned for this to be 4 parts. Anyways, here it is :)

Niall Horan is a carefree, happy lad. Well most of the time anyway. So when Louis and Lauren finally get back from Doncaster after being snowed in they’re both a little bit surprised by how pissed off he is. Of course he doesn’t suspect anything, because he’s Niall, genetically inclined to be oblivious to anything and everything (just ask a certain curly haired lad who may or may not spend the majority of his time making moon eyes at the blond haired boy). He’s not even really that upset with Louis, who, like the other boys, he just assumes went home for the night. It’s Lauren that he’s losing his mind over.

“What were ya thinkin? Are ya mad! Ya coulda been killed Lauren!” Louis can hear him screaming through the walls and this is one of those times that he regrets keeping the flat next door to Niall after Harry moved out. He had honestly hoped that Harry would grow a pair and ask Niall to move in with him so that they could fall in love and live happily ever after, but that, unfortunately for Louis, doesn’t seem like it’ll be happening any time soon. A door slams from Niall’s flat and the screaming stops so Louis thinks maybe its safe to come out and see if there’s anything he can do. He’s not really expecting much when he opens his door, and he’s certainly not expecting Lauren to be sitting on the floor in the hall, leaning against the wall crying.

“Hey. Hey hey Lo don’t cry.” He murmurs softly, sliding down the wall to sit next to her. He doesn’t hesitate to wrap his arms around her tightly because its feels so familiar to have her in his arms and She leans instinctively into the touch.

“I’m sorry. I’m sorry I just….. Hate fighting with him ya know. He’s right, I shoulda called I just didn’t think about it. We were having such a nice time together I didn’t…. I didn’t realize he’d be so upset.”

“What did you tell him?” Louis asks because he’s curious and wants to know if their secret is out. He wouldn’t really mind if it is, he’s not ashamed of her or anything. He just feels like he should know.

“Said I went to visit a friend in Leeds for the night.” She looks guilty, like she feels bad for not telling the truth and Louis knows that’s a Horan thing, he’s seen that look on Niall’s face enough times to know that. “I’m sorry.”

“Don’t be.” Louis says to try to make her feel better and he thinks maybe it works when he sees her smile almost reach her eyes. It’s pretty much the most breathtaking thing he’s ever seen and he wants to see it every day. He wanted to see it make it’s way all the way to her eyes, to make her laugh that magical laugh that makes his heart throb a little bit in his chest. That’s his new mission in life, he’s decided. And it starts right now

*****

Louis thinks it’s a little ridiculous that he’s still nervous about the idea of taking Lauren out on a date, but he is. The thing is, the possibility of this date going very very wrong is there. She’s no idea that he’s planned anything to begin with and he kind of just decided that a surprise approach was the best option. He regrets that decision the minute he knocks on her door at half 10 at night. It’s obvious she’s half asleep the minute opens the door and Louis can’t help but feel a little bit guilty )and also a little bit in awww) of the sleepy/confused look in her eyes.

“Louis? What are you doing here?” she asks, and he almost rethinks the whole plan right then and there. Instead, and possibly against his better judgment, he smiles down at her brightly.

“I have something I’d like to show you if that’s alright.” he tells her. A sleepy smile makes it’s way across her face and she motions for him to follow her inside. Five minutes later she’s dressed in a skinny jeans, a shirt and the jumper that Louis let her borrow back in Doncaster (his heart may or may not have done a back flip or two at the sight of her wearing HIS jumper). It looks more than perfect on her, the dark green bringing out the mossy color of her eyes. He doesn’t say a word, just drapes an arm around her shoulder and leads her out the door and to his car. They drive in silence for a few minutes until they reach their destination. Louis cuts the engine and turns to face her, wanting to see her reaction as she realizes where they are. The drive-in hasn’t been used since the 50’s. It’s a little but rundown but has a nice vintage feel to it that he knows only Lauren will appreciate. The owner, a good friend of his mums, has always been quite fond of Louis and didn’t even hesitate to say yes when Louis asked to use the place for the night.

“Louis….” Lauren breathes out almost completely silent but Louis just shushes her as the screen in front of them lights up, and silently thanks Harry for talking him into buying a vintage car with bench seats as he slides over into the middle and pulls her into his arms. She rests her head against his chest for only a second before the opening credits of the movie come onto the screen and “Moon River” begins to play. Her head shoots up and she looks at him with wide eyes, biting her lip to hide a happy smile. “Breakfast at Tiffany’s?”

“I know it’s your favorite.” he says, a little embarrassed because she’s never explicitly told him that before. She stares at him for a long moment, looking deep in thought before settling back into his chest and letting out a content sigh. He tightens his arms around her and shuts his eyes, letting the sounds of the movie wash over him and basking in the glow of her happiness.

In Lauren’s own head, she’s a little bit confused. She’s spent the last few days trying to figure out why in the world Louis Tomlinson keeps spending so much time with her and had honestly decided that he probably just felt sorry for her that she has no other friends. There couldn’t really be any other explanation, considering she knows what kind of girls he goes for and she’s not nearly as pretty as Eleanor. But the fact that he just knows her favorite movie has her rethinking her earlier conclusion. Boys don’t do this kind of thing unless they really care, her mother always told her.

Louis shifts nervously beside her towards the end of the movie. There’s something he knows he needs to do, he’s just not sure if it’s a good idea.

“Is everything alright?” Lauren asks him softly, looking up at him with those big green eyes and he decides in that moment to just take a chance. The arm he has around her shoulders slips down to her waist, bringing her body as close to his as possible as his free hand curls around the curve of her neck. It’s now or never, he thinks as he leans in slowly, making sure to give her enough time to back away if she wants. He shuts his eyes, mentally preparing himself for either a slap in the face or the feel of her lips. He’s more than a little relieved when he feels the soft press of her lips against his. It lasts no longer than a second before he pulls away a fraction of an inch, eyes still closed.

“Yeah. Yeah everything is perfect.” he whispers softly before his lips are back on hers. Fireworks explode behind his eyelids as they kiss each other and he wishes they could stay like this forever. But eventually they both need to breathe. It’s quiet in the car as they both pull away from each other, the movie having stopped and the screen in front of them pitch black, the only sound being that of their breathing. And as much as Louis doesn’t want to break that silence, he knows he has to, knows he needs to ask her the question that’s been on his mind for days. “Mine.” is all he manages to say and OK, that’s not exactly how you ask someone to be your girlfriend but it’s a start at least.

“Huh?”

“I, uh…..I’d like it if you were mine. You know, if that’s alright with you.” Louis doesn’t really think that’s much better, but apparently it’s enough for Lauren because the minute the words are out there her lips are back on his.

“Yeah. Yeah that’s alright with me.”


	4. Part 4

Louis can't really blame Harry for getting upset with him. He's been so absent lately and Harry's been going through a rough time and needs his best friend. It's just, Louis been so caught up with Lauren that he kind of forgets anyone else exists for a while. So it's really no surprise that Harry has to literally smack him to get his attention.  
"What the fuck was that?" Louis asks, palm raising to rub his now aching cheek. He stares at Harry with the most confused look on his face and Harry almost forgets what he was angry about. Almost. But then he remembers last night when Niall brought a girl over to his new house for dinner, a dinner that was meant for just the two of them, and how he tried to call Louis to cry about it but Louis didn't answer. So he smacks him round the other cheek for good measure.  
"Where the hell have you been, mate?" He snaps, bottom lip pushed out past the top in a pout that would have anyone falling all over the curly haired boy (except for Niall, but Niall is stupid anyway).  
"I've been right here, Haz." Louis says, still confused and now a little angry, with two bruised cheeks. Harry shakes his head, tears welling up in his emerald green eyes. He huffs out a sigh and stares up into the corner and Louis can't help but think he might be playing this up a little bit. Despite what everyone say's about Louis flair for the dramatics, he has nothing on Harry Styles.   
"No. You haven't. And I've needed you Louis. I've needed my best friend. Things have been difficult. Niall brought over AMY for dinner last night. You know, to the dinner that I planned just for him. The one I made all of HIS favorite foods for. The one where i was supposed to tell him how I FEEL about him. I called you 46 TIMES Louis. I needed you!" The tears have spilled over now and are racing down Harry's pink cheeks. If Louis had a camera, he would take a picture to show Niall how stupid he is. He supposes he could use his phone, but that would probably be insensitive and he doesn't think he can take another slap in the face right now.   
"Haz I..."  
"No. You don't get to make excuses for not being around. I know it's because you're dating someone. And that's another thing, you haven't told me who it is. I'm your best friend, why won't you tell me? Is she really that embarrassing? Am I that embarrassing?" Harry continues. Louis as a little but taken aback by this. He hasn't intentionally avoided telling Harry about his relationship with Lauren. He just hasn't gotten around to it. But now that he thinks about it, he really doesn't want to tell anyone yet. It's so new and exciting, sneaking around. And if he tells Harry, then Harry will tell Niall. And Niall will NOT be happy finding out from someone else. So he lies. He lies to his best friend, in the entire world.  
"Haz, it's no one. It's not serious." A little pang of guilt shoots through his chest because of course it's serious. she spends more nights in his flat than she does her own (strictly cuddling of course). She has her own coffee mug in his cabinet for Christ sake.  
"Then why are you ignoring me lately and spending all you're time with this girl?" Harry's voice is rough now, and Louis didn't realize how hurt his best friend is until he hears it.  
"Haz I'm so sorry. I promise I'll be here. You're right, I'm a dreadful best friend. I'll cancel all of my plans for the day and we'll sit around the couch watching films and talking about what an absolute wanker Niall is for being so obliviously straight all the time. Also, Amy has stringy hair and horse teeth." Louis concedes and he feels even more awful now because he's supposed to take Lauren to the cinema today and doesn't want to cancel on her but he needs to be here for his best friend. But Lauren is the most understanding person he's ever met, so hes pretty sure she won't be too upset if he just explains the situation to her.  
"That's all I ask." Harry says happily, his infamous grin spreading across his face and Louis thinks it might all be worth it to see his best friends dimples like that. Harry bounces out of the room, calling out that he'll be back in half an hour with some junk food and Love,Actually, when Louis hears "Oh hello Lauren. Fancy seeing you here." Now he regrets everything he just said. It's not until after the door shuts and they both know Harry's in the elevator that Lauren finally speaks to him. Her eyes are a little but dimmer, sad and teary and she's worrying her bottom lip between her teeth.  
"No one?" she whispers so soft Louis' heart breaks and he feels like the scum of the earth because now his suspicious have been confirmed. Lauren heard everything.   
"Lo, no please...."  
"I thought......" she starts, cutting him off swiftly, but he doesn't let her finish.  
"Obviously you know that's a lie, Lauren. You're someone to me. Someone so important." he rushes towards her but she takes a big step back, towards the door.  
"But you didn't tell him. You didn't tell your best mate about me. If I'm so important, Louis, why didn't you tell him?" she asks. There's a calmness in her voice that he doesn't quite expect and it makes this all the more difficult for him because he KNOWS how much she's hurting but she's trying so hard to hide it.  
"I didn't tell him because I wasn't ready. This is all so new, I just don't want anything, or anyone to ruin it."  
"You're embarrassed aren't you? I know I'm not as pretty as Eleanor or Hannah or any of those other girls, but I just.... I thought that this was different. I thought that you were different. But I was wrong." she says softly. And really, he knows she should be yelling at him, he'd prefer the yelling actually, because the way she's talking to him right now, all calm and sad and soft is killing him more than the yelling ever could.  
"Lauren, please... I'll tell him. I'll tell all of them. Just please..... Lauren I lo....."  
"No. No don't. Please don't. There's nothing to tell anymore anyway. Bye Lou." she breathes as the tears spill down her cheeks. He wants to reach out take her hand and hold her and tell her everything will be OK and that she's just..... wrong. Everything she thinks is wrong and he wants her to know. but she's already walking out the door, brushing right past a bewildered Harry without even saying a word.  
"Lauren please!" Louis calls, running to the door and trying to stop her, but then the lift door is shutting and it's too late. She's gone. He contemplates running down the stairs, he knows he can make it if he really tries, but Harry's got a hand on his shoulder, holding him firmly in place.  
"Let her go, Lou. Just give her some space." Harry says to him, and Louis just nods even though it's the last thing he wants to do. "You should have just told me the truth." Louis nods again, because he should have. He knows he made a mistake and now, with Harry holding him back, there's nothing he can do to fix it. He feels his chest tighten at the thought and he doesn't even try to hold back. Just starts crying violently right there in the hall. Harry pulls him in, long arms wrapping around his body, and it's almost comforting, but he's not Lauren and she's all Louis really wants.  
"I love her. I'm in love with her." He sobs breathlessly into Harry's chest as the taller boy holds him close, pulling him back into the flat.  
"It's OK Lou. It's alright, we're going to fix this."


	5. Part Five

Louis has never in his entire life been afraid of Niall Horan. Never. At least, not until now, when he's standing right in front of him, about to tell him the truth about his love life. Actually, that's not the only reason why he's here, but no one else needs to really know about that other than him and Niall. It's the other reason that he chooses to start with.  
SMACK!  
“You're an idiot.” he yells at the blonde haired boy. Niall's hand shoots up to his newly injured ear as he glares over at Louis, swearing at the older boy under his breath.  
“Why's that?” he huffs and Louis can't help but roll his eyes because, really? Shouldn't he already know. So he smacks him again for good measure because, hey, if it worked for Harry it can work for him too.  
“You brought Amy to your dinner with Haz, Niall. Why would you do that? You can't possibly be that oblivious.” Louis snaps. Niall sighs, chewing on the inside of his cheek, a bright pink blush coating his cheeks. It makes Louis think of Lauren and all he wants to do is cry but he has to focus. Niall mumbles something under his breath but Louis doesn't quite catch it.  
“Come again mate?”  
“I was tryna make him jealous, OK! Is that whatcha wanna hear?” Niall groans, almost embarrassed by his own actions.   
“Huh?” And really, that's like, the last thing that Louis was expecting. Niall lets out a heavy sigh before slumping down on to the couch, defeated.  
“I... I just wanted him to make a move already. But he wouldn't. I thought maybe he'd do it when he moved out but it never happened. So I brought Amy to dinner and asked her to flirt with me to make him jealous so maybe he'd finally do somethin about it. And it didn't even work. He spent the whole resta the night on the phone. Like he didn't even care or anything.” he explains. Louis lets the words soak in for a minute before...  
SMACK  
“You're an idiot!” and this time it's louder and more meaningful because REALLY! These two morons have been in love with each other forever and they're both to god damn stupid to make anything come of it. “I'm texting him. He's coming over and you're going to tell him how you feel and then he's going to tell you how he feels and you're going to live happily ever after being idiots together.” He pulls out his phone and sends the text he's already had composed since before he came to Niall's, before sitting down and waiting for that knock on the door that he knows is coming. Sure enough, only about thirty seconds later (impressive, especially for Harry) there it is. Niall tenses up next to him, eyes wide with terror so Louis gives his shoulder a quick squeeze before pushing him up off the couch and towards the door, slapping his bum for good luck. Niall lets Harry in without a word and leads him back into the lounge which really isn't what Louis was going for. He doesn't want to have to play mediator to their little love connection but he guesses that he doesn't have a choice anymore. Both boys look up at him, fear evident in their eyes and he just.... what he really wants is to bash their stupid heads together and say 'Just kiss already idiots' but he feels like that might be a little insensitive. “Harry, Niall and I were just discussing why Niall brought Amy to dinner the other night. Niall, would you care to explain?” he prods. Niall stares down at the floor before looking up at Harry with guilty eyes and opens his mouth but before he can say a word his lap is full of curly haired boy. It's horrifying and absolutely gross for Louis, watching his best mates snogging like that right in front of him, and he's decided that when he gets Lauren back he's going to snog her in front of them just for revenge. And also because he really likes to snog her. “STOP! STOP PLEASE!” he screams, wrenching them apart. He takes in the sight of their flushed faces and kiss swollen lips and smiles because he did this. He finally got them together. OK well Harry's raging hormones got them together, but he's still going to take all the credit. “You lot are disgusting. Honestly, get a room.” he teases and he definitely doesn't miss the hopeful look in Harry's eyes at his suggestion.  
“We could you know.” he whispers to Niall nervously. Niall's eyes widen comically until he looks like one of those little Japanese cartoon characters that Zayn likes to draw.  
“You mean..... move in with ya?” he asks quietly, clearly scared, but there's a hopeful tone to his voice that Harry picks up on immediately. The curly haired lad nods eagerly and Niall smiles back happily. “Yeah. Yeah 'course.” Louis decides it's probably better to catch their attention before Harry decides to take Niall's virginity right in front of him after that, so he clears his throat quite loudly and speaks.  
“Now that that's all settled, I've got something I'd like to say.” he announces. Niall looks up at him curiously while Harry smiles, obviously proud that he's finally gaining the courage to just come out and tell Niall the truth (hypocrite). Louis takes a deep breath before finally opening his mouth. “NiallIminlovewithLauren” he rushes out. Niall cocks his head to the side, confused.  
“What? You're what?” he asks before he pieces it all together. He stares at Louis for a moment before a huge grin splits across his face. “Really! That's great Lou! She'll be glad to hear it. She's been crushing on you for ages, mate.”  
“Yeah well, um, I don't think she's too pleased with me right now. I kind of hurt her feelings. We were together, you know in a relationship and all, and I didn't tell anyone about it. Granted she didn't either, but I kept it from Harry too. She walked in on Harry and I talking about it, Haz was asking me questions about who I was seeing and I panicked and said it was no one. I'm sorry Niall. I really screwed this one up.” Louis explains, embarrassed, and he kind of expects Niall to sock him or something but he doesn't. He just laughs and shakes his head and says  
“Lou, she loves ya. Just go tell her the truth about how you feel already. Don't be an idiot like me.” Harry smiles at Niall and Niall smiles at Harry and Louis smiles at both of them because he's glad they're together and maybe when everything works out they can all double date sometime. As long as they promise never to snog like that in front of him again.

* * * * * 

An overwhelming sense of deja vu has overtaken Louis right now. It's late, just past one in the morning if he had to guess, and he's standing outside of Lauren's door, just like he had the night of the concert. He'd like to think he's less nervous this time around, but the truth is that this is the most nerve wracking moment he's had in a long time. He keeps replaying this scenario where she screams at him and slams the door in his face and he prays that that doesn't happen because he needs her. So he knocks three times and hopes for the best. It takes a while for the door to open but when it does, he's met with the most adorably heartbreaking sight he's ever seen in his life. There she stands, in his jumper and a pair of his boxers, long curls messy and eyes rimmed red. Tears are streaming down her cheeks and there's a pint of Oreo ice cream in her hand. She sniffles a bit, wiping at her eyes as she sets her ice cream on the table by the door and looks up at him through wet lashes.  
“Why are you here?” she asks, her voice rough from crying and he just wants to scoop her up into his arms and tell her everything is going to be alright. Instead he goes with  
“I'm in love with you.” She bites her lip and he can tell she's trying to hide a smile. “I tried to tell you before you left but you wouldn't listen. I'm sorry I didn't tell Harry about us. I'm sorry that I said that you were no one, because it's not true. You are someone. You're everything. I didn't tell Harry because I didn't want him to tell Niall and I didn't tell Niall because you didn't. I thought you didn't want anyone to know so I kept it to myself. But that doesn't mean you're not important because you are. You're more important to me than any girl I've ever been with. And now they both know. And in a few hours everyone can know if you'd like. I'll tell the world how I feel about you if you want me to. You just say the word and I’ll do it. I'll do anything for you, Lauren. Because I love you and nothing is ever going to change that.” And then she's throwing herself at him, arms wrapping around his neck, legs locking around his waist. She presses her lips to his, rushed and hungry and passionate, like she hasn't kissed him in ages, before pulling back and looking him in the eyes.  
“That's all I've ever wanted to hear.” she whispers before reconnecting their lips. Yeah, this is definitely better than he expected.


End file.
